My favorite Fisher-Price toy? A tape recorder.
My Dr. Seuss tapes were worn out by the time I was done with them. On one side was the story — “The Cat In the Hat” got played constantly — and the other side was blank. The idea was to give kids a clean slate to make up their own stories. I made up many, many tales on that tape, mostly in the form of mock broadcasts… especially talk shows.
Phil Donahue helped teach me how to play that role. His genial, engaging style made everyone feel comfortable speaking their minds on even the most taboo topics. I had to play multiple characters on those recordings, taping over my old stories repeatedly to tell new tales with new voices. It wouldn’t work if I was the only one talking. You have to have others with you to make a conversation worthwhile.
This legendary talk show host died today at age 88. His career included 29 seasons of The Phil Donahue Show (aka Donahue), most of which were nationally syndicated. The Cleveland native started his show in Dayton, Ohio before moving to Chicago and New York. It earned him many accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024.
Through it all he focused on topical shows rather than chasing celebrities, partly out of necessity.
“We had to beg people to do the show,” he told David Letterman in a 1984 interview. “Because stars were not on-call for us, we had to improvise and feature shows that spoke to issues about which the audience cared. And that actually served us very well. That's what's really been the backbone of our show.”
It’s a good thing he had this creative limitation. It modeled for the rest of the country the value of being the host of the show, rather than the star of the show. Hosting means you need others with you to make the program work: people who are willing to connect with each other and do something bigger than themselves. But when you’re a star, others seek you more than you seek them. You can carry the show on your own to a large extent. Great for you… not so much for others.
We’ve got a lot of wannabe stars in our public discourse, doing little good toward easing our divisions and polarization. Where are the gracious hosts? Where are the moderators and facilitators? Who can we turn to for meaningful conversations about tough topics? Will you and I help create those spaces where people can be themselves and hear each other out?
I hope Phil Donahue wasn’t the last of his kind. If he was, we’re in big trouble.
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